Chargers have done 'some preliminary work' on Jim Harbaugh as potential head coach hire

As the college football and NFL seasons quickly come to a close, the final few NFL job openings that must be filled loom large. Could Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh be a candidate?

That certainly seems to be the case, at least according to reporting from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

“This is a name that is buzzing in league circles as a potential head coaching candidate,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “Asking around I do believe the Chargers have at least put out feelers, done some preliminary work on Harbaugh. So that could be an option for him too. Of course, Chicago, he’s got ties there if that job does open.”

Harbaugh was last in the NFL in 2014, when he coached for the San Francisco 49ers. Harbaugh helped lead the Niners to a Super Bowl appearance, but things became contentious with management over time.

Ultimately, too many heads butted and Jim Harbaugh returned to the college game.

He has now spent nine seasons in the college game after bouncing back and forth between college and the NFL a couple times. But his current stint with Michigan has been marred of late by a handful of off-the-field incidents.

Michigan recently received an NOA from the NCAA over alleged violations stemming from the COVID-19 dead period. Harbaugh served a three-game suspension at the beginning of the season as a way of getting out ahead of NCAA punishment on that front.

But a second scandal popped up during the season, when staffer Connor Stalions was found to be scouting opponents in advance against NCAA rules. Jim Harbaugh sat out the final three games of the regular season rather than face potential punishment from the Big Ten.

It’s unclear whether he could yet face stiffer penalties for that.

Regardless, there’s a decent bit of build up for Harbaugh to want to potentially escape the college ranks to head back to the NFL. But we’ll have to wait to find out how it all unfolds.

“The belief is he is going to go through the College Football Playoff before he entertains really any sort of offers or talks from NFL teams,” Fowler said. “But there is a feeling that this could be the time that he finally makes that jump. How much power is he going to need? Contractually, personnel power, these are all factors the Chargers are going to have to weigh.”

Jim Harbaugh just turned 60 before Christmas. He has been coaching since 2002, when he began his career as the quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders.